fbpx
Google Partner

7 Powerful Ways Geofencing Marketing Can Boost Your Medical Practice

Geofencing Marketing for Doctors and Healthcare Providers

In today’s digital landscape, geofencing marketing has emerged as a game-changing technology that allows businesses to target audiences based on their physical location. For clinic and hospital marketing managers, geofencing marketing offers innovative ways to reach patients, engage them, and ultimately improve healthcare outcomes. But what is geofencing marketing, and how can it be leveraged effectively in the healthcare sector?

In this blog, we’ll explore the fundamentals of geofencing marketing, its benefits for healthcare professionals, and actionable strategies to integrate this powerful tool into your clinic or hospital’s marketing efforts. We’ll also cover essential key terms and answer some frequently asked questions.

What is Geofencing Marketing?

Geofencing marketing is a location-based service that uses GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to create virtual boundaries, or “fences,” around specific geographical areas. When someone enters or exits these areas, businesses can send targeted advertisements or notifications to their smartphones. In healthcare, this could mean sending promotions or health tips to potential patients who are near your clinic or hospital.

How Does Geofencing Work in Marketing?

Geofencing marketing works by setting up a virtual boundary around a designated area, such as a hospital or medical clinic. Geolocation marketing relies on GPS data to perform its function, allowing marketers to send highly targeted ads to smartphones or other mobile devices within that boundary. Individuals who cross the geofence receive location-specific offers, event notifications, or appointment reminders.

This can be especially effective for medical clinics and hospitals that want to reach patients within their local area. For example, a hospital could use geofencing to send a reminder to potential patients about flu vaccines when they are near the hospital.

Geofencing Marketing Examples in Healthcare

Let’s look at some real-world geofencing marketing examples in healthcare:

Geofencing Marketing Examples in Healthcare

  • Clinics can set up a geofence around a competing healthcare provider to offer special discounts or services to patients nearby.
  • Hospitals might create a geofence around nearby pharmacies to send ads for a vaccination clinic or offer patients healthcare tips.
  • Dental clinics could use geofencing to send appointment reminders to patients near their clinics, reducing no-shows and cancellations.

These geofencing marketing campaigns show that location-based marketing can bring patients to healthcare facilities more efficiently than traditional advertising.

Benefits of Geofencing Marketing for Doctors

Healthcare providers can use geofencing marketing platforms to achieve several key objectives:

1. Increased Local Awareness

Geofence marketing helps improve local visibility and awareness by targeting patients who are physically near your clinic or hospital. People often search for medical services “near me,” and geofencing enhances your ability to reach them just when they are looking for those services.

2. Targeted Campaigns for Specific Conditions

Geofencing allows clinics and hospitals to promote specific services to people in their vicinity. For example, a cardiologist could use geofencing mobile marketing to advertise heart health check-ups during National Heart Month to people nearby.

3. Real-Time Engagement

Since geofencing sends notifications as patients enter a specific area, it allows for real-time engagement. Geotracking marketing enables healthcare marketers to send timely messages, such as reminders about flu shots or health screenings.

4. Better ROI and Conversion Rates

Since geofencing marketing targets patients who are already nearby, it naturally leads to higher conversion rates compared to broader, less-focused campaigns. Whether you run a general clinic or a specialized hospital, the ability to target specific audiences based on location leads to more effective and cost-efficient advertising.

How to Set Up Geofencing Marketing for Your Clinic or Hospital

The process of setting up geofencing marketing is fairly straightforward:

How to Set Up Geofencing Marketing for Your Clinic or Hospital

  1. Define Your Geofence: The first step is to define the geographical area you want to target. This could be a small radius around your clinic, hospital, or even competitor locations.
  2. Select Your Audience: Once the geofence is set, you can define the target audience—whether it’s new patients, existing patients, or even people visiting nearby medical providers.
  3. Use a Geofencing Platform: You will need to select a geofencing marketing platform or software that can manage and run your campaigns. Platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and specialized geofencing marketing companies offer tools to help you create and monitor campaigns.
  4. Create Targeted Campaigns: Develop ads that are relevant to the audience in the geofence. For example, you could create campaigns around annual physical exams and dental check-ups or even promote new medical services like telehealth.
  5. Monitor and Adjust: Once your campaign is live, use analytics to track engagement, click-through rates, and conversions. This data will help you refine and improve future geofencing efforts.

Choosing the Right Geofencing Marketing Software

When it comes to implementing geofencing marketing, choosing the right software is critical. Several geofencing marketing companies offer platforms tailored to healthcare providers, allowing you to monitor performance and tweak campaigns as needed.

Popular Software for Geofencing Marketing

  • Google Ads: Google offers powerful tools for location-based ads, allowing you to target patients within specific geofences.
  • Facebook Ads: Like Google, Facebook allows businesses to set up geofences for their ad campaigns.
  • Specialized Geofencing Tools: Some companies offer dedicated geofencing marketing software designed for medical professionals. This software provides detailed insights and control over campaigns.

Location-Based Marketing in Healthcare

The broader concept of location-based marketing refers to any form of advertising that leverages a user’s physical location. Geofencing is a subset of this. Location-based technologies allow retailers, including healthcare providers, to tailor their marketing efforts based on where their customers/patients are at any given time.

For instance, a location-based marketing agency could help a hospital or clinic design campaigns that target patients in specific neighborhoods or near competitor locations. Such agencies specialize in geolocation marketing and use advanced software to deliver highly targeted and effective ads.

FAQ: Geofencing Marketing for Healthcare Providers

  1. What is geofencing in marketing? Geofencing marketing is a location-based strategy where businesses use GPS or cellular data to send advertisements to people within a virtual boundary or “geofence.”
  2. How does geofencing marketing work? Geofencing uses mobile location data to detect when a person enters or exits a pre-defined area. Once this happens, a targeted ad or notification is sent to their smartphone.
  3. Is geofencing marketing effective for healthcare providers? Yes, geofencing allows clinics and hospitals to reach local patients with tailored messages, leading to better engagement and conversion rates.
  4. How can I set up a geofence for my clinic? You can use geofencing marketing software to create a virtual boundary around your clinic and send targeted notifications to people within the boundary.
  5. What are the advantages of using geofencing for medical practices? Benefits include increased local visibility, targeted messaging, real-time engagement, and higher return on investment.
  6. What types of healthcare services benefit most from geofencing marketing? Urgent care, specialty clinics, vaccination centers, and hospitals can benefit the most from geofencing marketing.
  7. Can geofencing be used in combination with social media marketing? Yes, geofencing marketing on Facebook and other social media platforms can further enhance engagement by combining location-based targeting with social channels.
  8. What is the best geofencing platform for hospitals? Google Ads and Facebook Ads are popular choices, but you may want to consider specialized geofencing platforms that cater to healthcare providers.

The cost of geofencing campaigns can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the size of the targeted area, the duration of the campaign, and the platform or service provider you choose. Here’s a breakdown of the common cost components:

Cost of geofencing marketing campaigns?

1. Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)

Most geofencing platforms charge based on CPM (cost per thousand impressions), meaning you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is shown within the geofenced area. The average CPM for geofencing campaigns can range from $5 to $15. However, for highly targeted healthcare audiences, the CPM could go up, depending on the competition and niche.

2. Setup Fees

Some geofencing marketing platforms or agencies may charge an initial setup fee. This fee can range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the complexity of the campaign and the platform used.

3. Monthly Management Fees

If you work with a geofencing marketing agency, they may charge a monthly management fee to monitor and optimize your campaigns. This fee can vary from $500 to $2,000 per month, depending on the level of service and the number of campaigns being managed.

4. Ad Spend

The total ad spend will depend on the size of the geofenced area, the number of people you’re targeting, and the length of the campaign. A small, local geofencing campaign could cost as little as $1,000 per month for ad spend, while a larger, more aggressive campaign targeting multiple areas might require a budget of $5,000 to $10,000 per month.

5. Platform-Specific Costs

If you are using platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to run your geofencing campaigns, the costs will follow the respective platform’s pricing structure. Google Ads charges by impressions or clicks, with an average cost-per-click (CPC) in the healthcare industry ranging from $2 to $5. Facebook Ads can cost anywhere from $0.50 to $2 per click, depending on your audience targeting.

6. Additional Costs
  • Creative Development: If you need to create ads or hire designers to build banners and messaging for your campaign, there could be additional costs for creative work.
  • Analytics Tools: Some agencies or platforms offer advanced analytics tools for tracking conversions and customer behavior within the geofenced area, which may incur additional costs.
Overall Cost Estimate

For a small clinic or healthcare provider looking to run a local geofencing campaign, you might expect to spend around $1,500 to $3,000 per month, including ad spend and management fees. Larger hospitals or multi-location healthcare practices could spend $5,000 to $15,000 per month or more, depending on the scope of the campaign and desired results.

Factors That Affect Geofencing Costs:

  • Targeting precision (more specific targeting can increase costs).
  • Campaign duration (longer campaigns require higher budgets).
  • Size of the geofence (larger areas may require a larger budget to reach more people).
  • Competition in the healthcare market (if your area is competitive, costs could rise).

For marketing managers in the healthcare industry, understanding these cost variables will help you budget effectively for your geofencing marketing campaigns and ensure you get a good return on investment.

Ready to take your healthcare marketing to the next level with geofencing? Contact our expert team at Healthcare Marketing Agency today to set up a customized geofencing campaign that drives results.

Let’s optimize your strategy for success!

Can I track conversions?

Yes, you can track conversions in geofencing marketing campaigns. Conversion tracking helps determine the effectiveness of your campaign by monitoring how many users take a desired action after being exposed to your ads. Here’s how conversion tracking works and how it can benefit your geofencing campaign:

How Conversion Tracking Works in Geofencing Marketing

  1. Setting Conversion Goals
    Before launching your campaign, you need to define what constitutes a conversion. In healthcare marketing for doctors, clinics, or hospitals, common conversion goals might include:
    • Website visits: Users click through to your website after seeing an ad.
    • Appointment bookings: Patients scheduling consultations or medical services.
    • Phone calls: Prospective patients calling your clinic directly.
    • In-person visits: Patients physically visiting your clinic or hospital.
    • Form submissions: Users filling out a contact form or patient intake form.
  2. Tracking Methods
    • Pixel Tracking: A pixel is a small piece of code placed on your website that allows you to track visitors coming from your geofenced ads. When a user clicks on your ad, visits your website, and completes an action (like scheduling an appointment), the pixel records that event.
    • Mobile Device IDs: Geofencing uses mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) to track user behavior after they enter or exit the geofenced area. If a user who has seen your ad visits your clinic, their mobile device ID can be tracked and linked to the geofenced ad, allowing you to attribute the visit to the campaign.
    • Offline Conversion Tracking: Some advanced platforms can track whether a user who saw your ad visits your clinic in person. By comparing the GPS data from their mobile device with your clinic’s location, the system can attribute the visit to your geofencing campaign.
  3. Analytics & Reporting Tools Most geofencing marketing platforms come equipped with analytics tools that allow you to monitor conversions in real-time. These tools provide insights into:
    • How many users entered the geofenced area.
    • How many users clicked on your ad.
    • How many users completed your desired action, such as visiting your website or booking an appointment.
  4. Measuring In-Person Visits
    If your goal is to drive in-person traffic to your healthcare facility, geofencing can track foot traffic conversions. This is especially useful for tracking how many people saw your ad and then visited your location within a set time frame.
  5. Cross-Device Tracking Geofencing technology can track users across multiple devices. For instance, if a potential patient sees your ad on their mobile phone while in the geofenced area but later books an appointment on their desktop at home, cross-device tracking can attribute that action to your geofencing campaign.

Why Tracking Conversions Matters for Healthcare Providers

  1. To Measure ROI: Conversion tracking allows clinics and hospitals to see the return on investment (ROI) of their geofencing marketing efforts. If a campaign isn’t converting as expected, you can adjust your targeting or messaging to improve results.
  2. To Optimize Campaigns: With conversion data, you can identify which ads, platforms, or geofenced areas are driving the most conversions. This helps optimize future campaigns for better performance.
  3. For Better Patient Engagement: Tracking patient behavior helps healthcare providers understand what services or treatments attract more patients and which marketing strategies resonate with them.

Conclusion

Geofencing marketing offers healthcare providers a powerful way to engage patients in real-time, deliver highly targeted messages, and enhance patient retention. By using mobile geofencing marketing, clinics and hospitals can send personalized notifications, boost local visibility, and improve healthcare outcomes. For marketing managers in the healthcare industry, adopting geofencing into your strategy can be a highly effective way to boost patient numbers and enhance community outreach.

Whether you’re managing a small clinic or a large hospital, geofencing marketing can provide a cost-effective solution for reaching local patients in the right place, at the right time.

 

Get A Free E-Book